


Carnaberg Bomb: Prepare for Trouble, Make it Double

by RangerLauren



Series: Carnaberg Heck [6]
Category: Cuphead (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, I'm so glad this bomb exists, Let's see how committed I am lol, holy frick, i love these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-08 02:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15233250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RangerLauren/pseuds/RangerLauren
Summary: Wassup mah bois, this is my contribution to the second Carnaberg bomb week! :DCredit for the prompts goes to thetristevaguard on Tumblr:Day 1: As a Battle TeamDay 2: Protecting Each OtherDay 3: Cafe DateDay 4: CloudgazingDay 5: TangoDay 6: ConfessionDay 7: Realization





	1. Day 1: As a Battle Team

**Author's Note:**

> Yo yo yo yo wassup mah dudes
> 
> So I saw these prompts and I had to do them because I fricking love this ship so much
> 
> Credit goes to thetristevaguard on tumblr, go and check her out m8s: http://thetristevaguard.tumblr.com/post/175572928018/carnaberg-bomb-2
> 
> Anyway hERE WE GOOO-

It had been a rather peaceful morning when the Devil decided right then and there that he wasn't going to let himself be exiled by a couple of teacups. Without warning, the First Isle was suddenly plunged into a fiery invasion. Fortunately, word spread to the other isles before too much damage was done, but the residents of Inkwell Isle soon found themselves caught in a rather intense battle.

Cagney and Hilda had heard about the attack while on a date together and immediately set off towards the First Isle. They arrived to find the natural forests and meadows of the isle in shambles, demons and casino employees stomping on wildflowers and overgrown grass. Peppermint-scented shotgun shells and metal scraps littered the area as well.

“He doesn't learn, does he?” Hilda spoke up, floating on her cloud slightly above her companion’s head.

“Nope,” Cagney sighed. He grit his teeth in anger. That stupid goat had another thing coming if he believed he was going to get away with this.

She glanced down at him. “Ready?”

He smirked. “Always.”

They spotted the Root Pack battling a large group of imps and eagerly leaped into the fray. Cagney planted himself and summoned thorny vines that slashed away at the attackers, sending some of them soaring several meters. Hilda waved her arms and summoned a dark cloud that zapped a few into ash. 

The duo made quick work of the imps, but were almost instantly confronted by more. These ones were noticeably larger and wielded razor-sharp spears. They were faster too, Cagney observed as he narrowly dodged a jab at his stem. He met eyes with Hilda, who had been surrounded. She nodded once. 

He sent a vine her way, which wrapped around her waist and tossed her into the air. She inhaled deeply and morphed into her zeppelin form. He burrowed underground as tiny green and purple blimps appeared around her, their bullets striking the imps and pounding against the soil above him.

Cagney reappeared above ground and dealt with the few remaining intruders with a couple whacks. “Nice!” he called up to her.

She laughed. “Not too shabby yourself!” She glanced down at the Root Pack. “You guys okay?”

“Yes, we’re fine!” Psycarrot replied. “Glad you two came along when you did.”

A maniacal laugh suddenly sounded from downfield. A rabbit wielding a magic wand was rapidly hopping towards them with a crazed look in its eye. Above him trailed the skeleton of a horse sitting in a floating pod shaped like a poker chip. They were accompanied by hooded ghosts, hovering rabbit skulls, and even more imps.

Weepy suddenly let out a scream. “Over there!”

The group whipped around to follow the onion’s pointing finger. Advancing towards them from the opposite direction was a sentient roulette wheel and a domino, both enraged.

“Ah geez,” Cagney groaned.

Psycarrot’s third eye shot open. “Don't worry, we’ll handle these two.”

Cagney nodded. “Right.”

Moe cracked his knuckles. “Let’s _do this!”_ he roared.

As the three ran off, Cagney and Hilda attacked the rabbit and the horse skeleton. The carnation dodged a blast from the magic wand and clamped his leaves together, forming a sycamore seed. He hurled it at the rabbit, smacking it right between the eyes and sending it staggering. He attempted to pin it down with more of his thorned vines, but they were blasted away by the wand.

He spotted a flash of light above him and stole a quick glance at Hilda. She had transformed into Sagittarius and was shooting both arrows and blue stars at the horse. One arrow hit the side of its pod, causing it to spin off course briefly, while the stars honed in on a few of the ghosts.

Cagney swatted away the rabbit heads that were threatening to bite his petals off and focused on the fight. The rabbit certainly wasn't going down easy, despite taking multiple acorns to the skull. With every hit, however, Cagney could feel himself slowly gaining ground.

“Heads up!”

Cagney instantly hit the dirt upon hearing dual voices yell out the alarm. He felt hot bullets soar inches from his head, obliterating a group of ghosts he didn't even know were behind him and dazing both casino employees.

He straightened up and briefly saw Gemini before they turned back into Hilda with a puff of smoke. “You owe me,” she declared, panting slightly.

Cagney was about to make a snarky reply when his eyes widened. The rabbit had recovered faster than anticipated and was aiming its wand at Hilda, who was facing him and didn't notice. He plunged a hand into the dirt and sucker-punched it right in the face, making it drop its weapon and slump over.

“Now we’re even,” he stated proudly, retracting his arm.

Hilda recovered from her little surprise and snickered. “I guess we are.”

The rabbit lay unconscious on the ground, but the horse was still fighting. It shook away the stars spinning around its skull and pulled golden horseshoes out of its pod, throwing them with deadly accuracy. Both Hilda and Cagney struggled to evade them and took more hits than they were proud of, but they were fortunately still standing.

Cagney suddenly had an idea. He blocked a projectile heading for his face before turning to Hilda. “You wanna do it?” he suggested.

Hilda grinned sinisterly. “Hell yeah.”

Acting quickly, Cagney summoned as many vines as he could and wove them together to create a solid wall. He ducked behind it and shifted his head to resemble a Gatling gun. He then locked, loaded, and waited for Hilda.

The sylph’s bracelets glowed brightly as she started to chant. Her voice grew in intensity, as did the wind that threatened to blow her away. A dark twister formed before her, growing and growing until it was nearly three times her size. Cagney aimed for the tornado, then shot out as many seed pods as he could muster. As he did so, he made sure a vine grabbed Hilda, who had turned back to normal, and pulled her to safety before the seeds could hatch. 

The two hid behind the large wall, wind buffeting them, and listened to the snarling of Toothy Terrors and the screams of both ghost and horse. When the storm died down, Hilda peeked out over the wall. She was visibly tired, but her eyes were bright as she surveyed the battlefield and laughed in triumph. 

Cagney followed suit and was delighted to see both casino employees slumped against each other, both out cold. He allowed the wall of vines to sink back into the ground and let out a victorious whoop. The duo high-fived and proudly looked over what they had accomplished.

“Forgot how fun a real brawl is,” Cagney commented.

Hilda nodded in agreement. “Wanna do it again?”

Cagney stared off into the distance, where he could see Sally and Bon Bon battling what looked like a giant 8-ball. Over to the left, a familiar pair of curled horns was visible among the bushes.

He smirked. “Of course.”


	2. Day 2: Protecting Each Other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof this is kinda late, my bad lol
> 
> But anyway bois, this is Day 2 of the Carnaberg bomb

Cagney had always acted a little more antsy whenever Hilda was around, and not just in the lovesick sense. Everything felt significantly more dangerous, whether it be the man side-eying them from the corner or the ominous noises coming from the bushes. They were things he couldn't care less about when alone, but his paranoia heightened them into possible dangers.

He should blame it on the Devil hitting a little too close to home for all those years. Then it would be considered a normal reaction. However, he never felt the same wariness when around the other residents of the island. It confused him a little. He knew he had a soft spot for Hilda, but he didn't think it was this bad.

One day, he suddenly realized how... _small_ she was, especially when compared to him, or anyone really. Sure, he made fun of her height often, but he never actually noticed the drastic difference until then. Nearly everyone on the island towered over her. Her stick-thin form was almost swallowed up by shadows he didn't even notice before.

It only grew more prominent when they got together. Cagney felt like he was partially responsible for her safety now. She was a sylph; there were a lot of things out there that could hurt her if given the chance. If something happened to her on his watch...he didn't know what he would do.

He knew he was being an idiot. Despite her limitations, Hilda had proven to him multiple times that she could take care of herself. He had seen her take on enemies much larger than her and win by a rather large margin. It was pretty admirable.

That wasn't enough to keep him from worrying, but he tried to keep it under control. His actions probably wouldn't be accepted well, and then he’d be considered clingy or something. Besides, he trusted her to fight her own battles and stand up for herself.

Still, he remained protective in the little ways. He gave silent evil eyes to any shady characters in the area. He held her hand (not too obviously, of course) and walked on the side of the sidewalk that was closer to the road. He tried to make sure he was available if she needed anything, even if was something stupid like a watering can.

And, of course, when the time came, Cagney was all-too eager to go berserk on anyone who dared mess with his girlfriend.

\---

Hilda knew Cagney could be a tad protective. She had learned from the multiple times he had thrown people off the isle bridges because they had picked a fight with her. 

That was really the full extent of it though. Most of the time it was communicated through something really subtle and cute that he didn't think she noticed, like sticking a tad bit closer around a bar. She did enjoy being independent, but once in a while it was nice to know that he was on her side.

As cute as it was, however, Hilda feared the worst when it came to Cagney. She really did appreciate it; he worried about her, sure, but not once did he cross the line. He respected her boundaries and didn't bother her when she went out with her friends, reinforcing her trust in him.

It was the fact that he was so eager to put himself in harm’s way to protect her that made her nervous. One of these days, he was going to do something stupid that would end up in him getting killed. She didn't know if she could ever forgive herself if it happened because of her.

So, Hilda tried extra hard to reassure him. When going out, she set an estimate on what time she would return so he didn't worry. She maintained her tough cookie reputation to show she could fend for herself. She encouraged him to rant about something to her if he needed to; trust was a two-way street after all, and the last thing she wanted was to make him feel like his feelings were less important. 

Sometimes, though, she let him have his fun and didn't protest him beating the tar out of a couple drunkards. It was hilarious to watch, anyway.


	3. Day 3: Cafe Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We back again bois
> 
> This one's a little longer than the previous two and also includes everyone's favorite genie, so hope you guys enjoyyyy

Djimmi knew that what he was doing would technically be considered stalking. He would admit that sometimes he felt a little creepy when doing so. The fact that he had put on a disguise and hidden behind his menu didn't help.

But he couldn't help it. He had restrained himself from watching Cagney and Hilda’s dates together for so long, knowing that it wouldn't end well for him if he was caught. He finally gave in when he heard they were going to a cafe that he himself visited often, and he just so happened to be in the area at the time. Besides, he played a pretty big role in pairing them up in the first place, so why not enjoy the fruits of his labor?

So, he gathered his fellow romance enthusiasts (the ones that could fit inside the building, anyway), and they seated themselves near the back of the cafe, waiting patiently. Well, somewhat patiently.

Bon Bon drummed her fingers on the table impatiently. “You sure this is the right place?”

“I am never wrong about these things,” Djimmi replied.

“Yeah, Bonnie, don’t doubt the master,” Beppi chimed in teasingly before taking a large gulp of his soda.

The Baroness groaned. “And why is he here?”

“He wants to watch, same as us,” Djimmi reminded her.

Sally cleared her throat awkwardly. “Djimmi, you’re great and all, but I don’t think you remember what happened last time Beppi joined us.”

Beppi waved a hand dismissively. “Pfft, that’s in the past. I won't give us away this time, I mean it.”

Bon Bon and Sally looked skeptical, but Rumor smiled in acceptance. “I'm sure it won't do us any harm,” she said, folding her hands on the table. “Besides, as long as we remain casual, they won’t suspect anything.”

“Yeah, nothing says casual like trench coats and binoculars,” Bon Bon drawled sarcastically.

Djimmi popped the collar of said trench coat. “I happen to look good in this.”

Rumor’s head suddenly shot up. “Oh, look! There they are!”

Djimmi nearly fell out of his chair in excitement. He followed the bee’s pointing finger towards the front of the cafe. Sure enough, he could see Cagney and Hilda chatting with the hostess at the front desk.

Sally squealed. “Aww, they look so happy together!”

Djimmi agreed wholeheartedly. The carefree, almost joyful expression on Cagney’s face and the sparkle in Hilda’s eye were all-too noticeable.

“So now what?” Beppi asked as they watched the couple get seated near the front window.

“Simple: we wait for them to do something cute, and then we freak out about it,” Djimmi explained. He grabbed his binoculars from around his neck and held them at the ready, the others following suit. “Just make sure not to get too loud.”

Sally nodded in agreement, holding the binoculars to her face. “I’m sure it won’t be too much of a problem, though. They’re not exactly a cutesy couple. In fact, it might be awhile before- OH MY GOD THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS!”

“Where?!” The rest of the group scrambled to catch the moment before it ended. Djimmi adjusted the lenses until he could clearly see the duo. He spotted them sitting across from each other, having a conversation he couldn't hear. Cagney’s hand wrapped easily around Hilda’s much smaller one, holding it gently against the table.

The genie quietly whooped in delight, ignoring the stares from some of the other tables. “It begins!”

“Get it, Cagney!” Bon Bon pumped her fist.

The group watched intently for the next half hour, breaking away for brief moments to take a bite of their food. Hilda and Cagney were in their own world, oblivious to the other patrons as they chatted and laughed. Affectionate gazes were passed between them on occasion, making Djimmi’s grin widen each time.

“This is really entertaining,” Beppi remarked after a while.

“Right?” Sally propped up her head with her arms and sighed dreamily. “They’re so cute. God, I wish I could hear what they’re saying.”

The clown tapped his painted chin thoughtfully, then stood up. “Your wish is my command, Stageplay.”

Djimmi’s eyes widened. “Wait, Beppi-”

“Don't get your turban in a twist,” Beppi interrupted him. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a comically large pipe, at least three times longer than him, with what looked like a trumpet bell on one end. He set it on the floor and scooted it towards the targeted table. 

“Now we can listen,” he declared, patting the device.

“Why do you have that?” Bon Bon asked.

Beppi blinked at her. “Why wouldn't I have it?”

“Shhh!” Sally hushed them. They all leaned into the opening of the pipe while also keeping an eye on the couple.

“-and then the damn thing attacked me!” Cagney finished, gesturing wildly with his free hand.

“Seriously?” Hilda gaped. “ _It_ was the one trespassing.”

“Right?” Cagney paused his rant to shovel a forkful of rice into his mouth. “So naturally I picked it up by its head and threw it halfway to the third isle.”

Hilda snorted. “Nice.”

“Yeah, who knew those little walking blueberry things were so aerodynamic?”

“This conversation isn't as cute as I thought it would be,” Sally admitted sheepishly.

“Well it makes them happy, so I won’t complain,” Rumor said without a break in her prideful smile.

Hilda was about to say something else when she looked over Cagney’s shoulder at something Djimmi couldn't see. A mischievous grin grew on her face.

“What?” Cagney asked, glancing backwards to see what she was staring at.

“Betcha can’t launch a pea into Forkington’s shirt pocket,” Hilda teased, pointing behind him.

Cagney smirked. “You’re on.”

The eavesdropping group watched with increased interest as the carnation grabbed a spoon and loaded a single pea onto it. He then twisted around in his chair to aim and bent the spoon back as far as he could. He squinted hard, tongue poking out in concentration, before he let it fly. Djimmi didn't see it land, but judging by the hysterical snickering that followed, it had landed true.

“Oh my God, that was great,” Hilda laughed. 

“Damn right.” Cagney passed the spoon to her. “Get his monocle, Hilds.”

“With pleasure.” Hilda scooped up a small pile of rice and copied Cagney’s tactic, bending the spoon and aiming carefully. The two watched in rapt attention before suddenly ducking out of their target’s line of sight, silently laughing even harder than before.

“We’re so gonna get kicked out,” Hilda managed in-between giggles.

“It’s worth it.” Cagney let out a wheeze, high-fiving her. “That was a bullseye if I’ve ever seen one. Nice work.”

“You too,” Hilda replied.

“What the hell,” Bon Bon muttered. “Why are they strangely adorable when they harass people together?”

“I’ve chosen not to question it,” Djimmi said, suppressing a squeal as he watched the couple entwine their hands again.

“So, when do we tell Djimmi and the others?” Hilda piped up, silencing them.

“About what?” Cagney asked innocently. “You mean about the fact that we know they’re spying on us?”

Djimmi froze. “Wait…”

Hilda and Cagney simultaneously turned their heads to look at them, sinister smiles on their faces.

“Uh oh…” Sally trailed off.

“We’ve been discovered!” Bon Bon wasted no time, grabbing her purse and throwing a handful of coins on the table before bolting. “Abort, abort!”

“Retreat!” Beppi cried, grabbing his pipe and lugging it out of the cafe. Djimmi quickly threw his most powerful smoke bomb and raced outside, followed by Sally and Rumor.

“We’re so dead!” Sally wailed in despair as she attempted to make a break for the safety of her house.

Djimmi unfortunately agreed.

\---

Cagney and Hilda watched them fall over themselves trying to escape with mild amusement. “How much of a head start should we give ‘em?” Hilda asked.

“I’m feeling generous today,” Cagney replied. “How about ten seconds?”


	4. Day 4: Cloudgazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We back again bois 
> 
> This one's kinda late too lol, sorry I've been busy lately X'D
> 
> I would die for these two I swear sdsdffsdsf

“That one looks like a dog.”

“What? No it doesn't.”

Hilda looked over at her companion, the long grass stalks brushing against her face. “Yeah it does. You’re just looking at it wrong.”

Cagney snorted. “I’m looking at it wrong, huh?”

“You know what I mean,” Hilda pouted. “Turn your head to the right a little.”

Cagney did so, and squinted a bit. “Okay, I think I can kinda see it now. It doesn't have legs, though.”

“It helps if you think of it as one of the fancy lap dogs. Y’know, with all the fur.”

He snickered, folding his arms behind his head. “You have a very weird imagination, Hilds.”

Hilda stuck her tongue out at him. “I’d like to see you do better.”

“Oh I will.” Cagney stared at the sky for a bit, pondering. He then spat out the piece of wheat he was chewing on and pointed to a smaller cloud. “See that one? Now _that’s_ a dog.”

“Where?” the sylph asked, scooting over a couple inches.

“That one, over to the right of the one you picked.”

Hilda spotted it, and her brow furrowed. “What? That is _not_ a dog.”

“It's more of a dog than yours was,” Cagney teased.

“Look at it, the proportions are all wrong!”

“I prefer to think of it as a type of style.”

“You want to see a dog? Well, I’ll show you a dog.” Hilda raised her arms and waved them around, chanting under her breath. Cagney’s cloud shifted and morphed until it formed a rather impressive canine.

Cagney looked over at her with a pointed glare. “Okay, now you’re just cheating.”

“You never said I couldn't use my powers,” Hilda pointed out.

“It’s implied.”

“Your dog is implied, ‘cuz that sure as hell ain’t one.”

He glared at her. “You wanna go?”

“I do.” With that, Hilda chanted again, and her morphed cloud turned a dark shade of gray. There was a brief rumble before it started pouring rain down on Cagney.

“Hey!” the carnation spluttered, clawing at the ground to get away from the downpour. Hilda burst out laughing, rolling over and clutching her stomach, allowing the cloud to pursue him for a while before making it vanish.

He skidded to a halt upon realizing the nimbus was gone and scowled. “You little-” He began charging at her. “I’m gonna kill you for that!”

Hilda noticing him rapidly approaching and let out a shriek. She scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as her legs could carry her. “Wait, Cagney, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it!” she screamed, still laughing.

“Get back here!” Cagney, being much taller, was able to catch up to her easily. He grabbed her around her torso and lifted her off the ground with ease, ignoring her struggles. “Any last words?”

Hilda stopped squirming and gave him her best puppy-dog look. “I love you..?”

Cagney turned red. “Ugh, you’re lucky you’re cute. You’re staying here, though.” He wrapped his arms around her, pushing her face into his petals.

Hilda jerked back. “Gah, you’re soaked!”

“I wonder why,” Cagney teased lightly.

The sylph huffed. “I still think your cloud sucked, so you deserve it.”


	5. Day 5: Tango

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What the heck is a tango-
> 
> Anyway hope you guys enjoy this oneeeeee

As Hilda approached Cagney’s field, she began to hear the distant sound of music. Curious, she sped up her cloud a little more while making sure to stay out of sight, floating amongst the trees.

She spotted Cagney near his patch of violets, a watering can in his leaves. A wind-up gramophone was sitting in the grass beside him, playing a grainy but rather intense violin score. Cagney was humming along, clearly knowing the piece well. He moved in time with the erratic melody as he watered the flower patch.

Hilda touched down as quietly as she could and watched in mild amusement as he danced around. He was so cute sometimes.

She didn't notice the vine slinking towards her until it wrapped around her waist. She squeaked in alarm as she was knocked off her feet and tugged forward. When she recovered, she found herself pulled into a low dip with Cagney hovering over her.

“Hey there,” he greeted smoothly.

Hilda snorted. “What are you doing?”

“Dancing,” he said matter-of-factly. “What are _you_ doing?”

“Spying on you,” Hilda replied coolly.

“So I see.” A smirk grew on Cagney’s face. “Well, since you’re here…”

He pulled her upright, and it was then when Hilda realized what he meant. Her eyes widened. “Wait, Cagney, you know I can’t dance,” she said, laughing a little.

“I know. That’s gonna make it all the more entertaining for me,” he teased.

Hilda rolled her eyes. “Jerk.”

“You wound me.” Cagney placed his hand on the small of her back, sighing dramatically. “I guess I’ll go easy on you. Just follow my steps.”

“I can’t follow your steps if I don't know where they’re going,” Hilda protested.

Cagney took her other hand and held it out to the side. “Here, I’ll pull you this way first. Start with your right foot.”

“Uh...sure, yeah.”

Cagney counted off under his breath, and soon Hilda found herself being practically dragged around the garden. The carnation was trying to take smaller steps, but she still had a hard time keeping up. Gradually though, she fell into an awkward two-step that was nothing compared to her partner’s but kept her from tripping all the same.

That is, until Cagney pulled her in a direction she didn't expect, causing her to lose her balance and hit the dirt with an “oof!”

She recovered to see Cagney snickering quietly at her. She crossed her arms in anger. “Hey!”

Cagney nearly doubled over. “God Hilds, you’re such a klutz.”

“And _you’re_ a show-off,” Hilda retorted.

“Sorry, sorry.” Cagney offered his hand, still fighting his laughter. “At least now you know how it goes. Try not to fall this time."

Hilda rolled her eyes but accepted the gesture anyway, and she was pulled back into his arms with a swift jerk. They tried again, and this time she found slightly more success. She still felt rather clumsy and stiff, but she was at least able to follow his lead; he thankfully followed a pattern that she caught onto. Soon he was spinning and dipping her to the music, humming along as he did so. It was actually kind of fun.

The song was over after one last pose, their faces inches from each other. “So how did I do?” Hilda asked curiously, flushing a little under his gaze.

Cagney smiled, letting go of her. “Not bad for someone who's never tangoed before.”

Hilda blinked. “Wait, really?”

“Oh, don't get me wrong. You need lessons,” Cagney said. “But you didn't step on my feet, which I can appreciate.”

Hilda giggled. “Wow, thanks for being so supportive.”

“It’s what I do.” Cagney froze, hearing a fast trumpet fanfare suddenly blast from the gramophone. 

Hilda’s blood ran cold. “Oh no…”

“Oh yeah, Floral Fury!” Cagney advanced towards her, chuckling deviously. “Hey Hilds, come dance with me.”

Hilda turned on her heel and bolted for the fence. Cagney dancing to his favorite song with her was bound to end in disaster. “Not that! Anything but that!”

“You can’t escape it!” Cagney taunted, chasing after her.


	6. Day 6: Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We back again with Day 6
> 
> Only one more day left of this bomb and I'll go back to working on the other story, I promise TuT

Stiff and reluctant, Cagney marched his way up the hill that housed Hilda’s observatory. Dread bubbled in his gut with every step he made. He crept closer and closer and closer still, toward those metal doors that held nothing but certain doom.

The observatory loomed into view and he seriously considered turning back. He didn't _have_ to tell her, right? He could just let the situation go, and everything would stay the way it was.

_No,_ he told himself, forcing his legs to keep walking. It would only make things worse if he tried to hide it. Besides, it wasn't like he could hold in his confession for much longer. He wanted to have a serious talk with her instead of accidentally blurting it out on a random occasion.

Cagney reached the path that led to the front door, sighing a little. Just because he had to do it didn't mean it was going to be any less painful for him.

He let himself in; they had known each other long enough for it to be normal. Hilda was in the kitchen, standing by her tea kettle and watching the water start to boil. She turned to greet him and smiled. “Hey Cags.”

“Hey,” he replied, taking the opportunity to silently admire her. “What’s up?”

Hilda shrugged. “Nothing really, just making some tea. It’s Earl grey, you want some?”

“Nah, I’m alright.” Cagney unconsciously gripped the countertop with both hands. “Listen, Hilds, I gotta talk to you about somethin’.”

“Yeah?” Hilda stepped away from the kettle and stared up at him innocently.

Cagney struggled to form the right words. He wanted to get his message across without sounding too blunt, but that wasn't working out too well and he ended up just being tongue-tied. “Well, I...uh…”

Hilda leaned against the counter, smirking. “I’ll be here all day.”

“Shut up,” the carnation retorted with a weak laugh. “Look, it’s really important and kinda personal, so…”

Hilda’s gaze softened a little. “Oh. Take your time, then.”

Cagney didn't want to take his time. He just wanted to get it over with. He took a deep breath and tried again. “Uh…well, I was gonna tell you that-”

Before he could get another word out, a sudden whistling noise jerked him from his thoughts. Hilda jumped at the noise and rushed over to her kettle, which had steam pouring from the spout. “Sorry, hang on a second,” she said.

Cagney tugged on a couple of his petals in frustration. He was tired of keeping secrets from her for so long, and this one was huge. It could very well damage the bond they shared, but it might even do more harm if left unsaid.

Without thinking he slammed his hands on the counter again and spoke. “Remember those star charts you had a couple weeks ago that got ruined?”

Hilda paused mid-pour, looking over at him strangely. “Yeah..?”

“That was me,” he admitted.

The sylph’s jaw dropped. “That was _you?!”_ she exclaimed.

Cagney visibly cringed. “Yep.”

Hilda’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell did you do?”

“Funny story, actually,” Cagney began nervously. “I was, uh, watering those bushes of yours the other day and the hose kinda...went nuts. Water pressure or somethin’. Your window was open, so…”

“I spent days trying to find the leak that got them all wet!” Hilda cried out in exasperation.

“Haha…” Cagney trailed off, sweating like crazy. “Sorry, I guess.”

Hilda stared at him for a moment, half in anger and half in affection, before sighing. “You’re such a dork sometimes.”

That certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting. “Wait, what?”

“Thanks for telling me, though. I thought I was going crazy for a while there when I couldn't find the leak,” she joked.

Cagney gaped. Had he really been let off that hook that easily? He wasn’t going to complain, but he still expected more of a freakout. “Uh...yeah, sure. So you’re not mad?” he asked for clarification.

Hilda laughed. “Oh, I’m still definitely going to kill you for ruining my star charts. I just won’t drag it out for as long.”

Cagney swallowed hard. “Fair enough.”


	7. Day 7: Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo yo yo it's the last part of this bombbbbb
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I have ^u^

Cagney greatly valued his friendship with Hilda. Having known each other for nearly twenty years, they had been through thick and thin and done nearly everything together. He could barely remember a time when she wasn't around.

Then it happened.

It was gradual at first. Over time, Cagney took note of the little quirks about Hilda that he liked. Her laugh, the way she stuck out her tongue when concentrating, the short, dorky dances she did when she was excited, things like that. He didn't know why he noticed those things at first. He thought it was strange, creepy even, to pay attention to something as trivial and subtle as that. It was even worse to think of them as... _cute._

Cagney thought he was going crazy. Thinking about his best friend like that? Weird.

And then, one night, Cagney spotted Hilda flying around on her cloud, admiring the constellations. Her soft brown eyes were sparkling with wonder (another trait he liked), never once bored with the night sky. The moonlight shone on her thin body, causing her to glow much like the stars above her. Her fingers would twitch occasionally, delicately tracing the star chart in her lap as she stared.

That was the night Cagney realized his feelings for her.

It was turmoil after that. Cagney would wake up every morning, thinking about her. His daydreams consisted of nothing but her face and strong, melodious voice. Even his evening slumber was interrupted by the imaginary feeling of her small, slender form against his.

He believed it was just a phase at first. But as time went on, it got increasingly harder to be around Hilda without itching to suddenly hug her and kiss her full-on. He often resorted to spending more time away from her in an attempt to calm down, but that always made it worse. As a result, it was nothing but a vicious cycle of emotions that were ready to explode.

Cagney couldn't just tell her outright, though. That was ridiculous. It was such a... _volatile_ topic, one that would surely damage their friendship if taken the wrong way. He didn't know what he would do if she turned him down or thought he was insane.

He couldn't tell anyone, really. He was Cagney Carnation, the flower that hated everyone and everything. If he admitted that he liked someone in that way, he would never hear the end of it. He would never be taken seriously ever again, not just by his other friends, but by Hilda herself.

So, he kept it hidden.

\---

Hilda slowly began to realize that something was wrong with Cagney. He didn't hang out with her as much as he used to. In fact, it almost felt like he was deliberately trying to avoid her.

She hoped that wasn't the case. She greatly valued their friendship, and she didn't know what she would do if they drifted apart somehow. Besides, she was probably overreacting. Cagney’s life didn't have to revolve around her; he probably had other things to do, other people to see.

The thought of him seeing other people bothered Hilda for some reason. Not on a friendly manner, of course, but the idea of Cagney becoming more-than-friends with another woman put her on edge. She didn't know why; she had no right to control who he wanted to be with. If he wanted to date, that was fine.

Then, one day Hilda discovered why.

She had been chatting with him one afternoon about something she couldn't remember now, but apparently was interesting at the time. She couldn't help but notice the way he looked at her. It didn't hold a single trace of the grumpiness she saw in him while he was with other residents. In fact, he looked genuinely interested in what she was saying. 

She realized that she liked it...a lot. It made her feel important, especially since it was coming from him. There was something else there too that she couldn't pinpoint, but gave her an additional pleasant feeling all the same.

Hilda also noticed a couple other things about her best friend that she couldn't help but secretly like. There were the dorky things he did when he thought he was alone, such as dance along to the gramophone or talk to himself. The color of his petals were nice too. His height didn't bother her as much as it used to; it was actually kind of reassuring when around crowds or potential dangers.

After a lot of research, she finally identified where all of this was coming from: a good old case of infatuation. She didn't care for it at first. It was just a phase, bound to go away in a few weeks or so. 

She only started getting nervous when it didn't fade away but grew stronger instead. Spending time with Cagney grew increasingly more difficult, and most of her attention was spent trying not to embarrass herself. He eventually picked up on it and asked if she was okay on occasion. The knowledge that he genuinely cared about her wellbeing only made it worse.

Hilda eventually came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to never mention it to anyone, especially not Cagney. Who knows how he was going to react? Probably negatively; he wasn't one for cutesy or sappy things. He would never look at her the same way again if she dared tell him.

So, she kept it hidden.


End file.
